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Your generous donation of $100.00 rewards you with a commemorative full colour publication.

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Your generous donation of $250.00 rewards you with picnic for 6 people and a guided tour of the Union Cemetery

About the Project

Equinox Vigil in Union Cemetery
Artists and community coming together to create a sanctuary of remembrance and reflection

Thank you for visiting the crowd-sourcing page for Equinox Vigil in Union Cemetery. A unique participatory event, Equinox Vigil introduces Calgarians to meaningful and creative traditions for honouring our deceased.

First held in 2012, Equinox Vigil was enthusiastically embraced by visitors of all ages, cultural backgrounds and belief systems. This year, Equinox Vigil is poised to continue as a cherished annual event ... but it can't happen without your financial support!

Please help make 2013 Equinox Vigil at Union Cemetery a reality. Join with artists and other community members, as together we create a sanctuary of remembrance and reflection.

About the Project

Equinox Vigil in Union Cemetery is a free, family-friendly gathering to honour our deceased ancestors and loved ones and to reflect on the universal experience of death. Inspired by cultural traditions from around the world, this non-denominational event allows Calgarians to build upon ancient customs and to create our own respectful traditions of shared remembrance.

Held in Calgary's beautiful and historic Union Cemetery, the event includes music, video installations and memorial shrines created by local artists through a call for submissions. Visitors of all ages are invited to add their own personal messages or mementoes to the shrine sites, and to craft memorial tributes with the guidance of professional artists. The event also includes a hosted tea garden, where people can share their own customs, experiences and thoughts over a cup of hot tea.

Equinox Vigil 2013 is slated for September 22, 2013 to coincide with the autumnal equinox. Marking the death of summer and the beginning of a season of reflection and renewal, the autumn equinox is an appropriate time to remember our dead.

"It was a lovely, magical event in which everyone - artists, organizers, technicians and visitors - seemed to feel part of a peaceful community where tender feelings were honoured and welcomed. A wonderful experience!"
A visitor to Equinox Vigil 2012

You can see more comments and photos of Equinox Vigil at Union Cemetery at here.

About Sharon Stevens

For over twenty years, Sharon Stevens has been making art and making a difference in Calgary. Her artistic MO is inclusive, feminist, collaborative, provocative, smart and often humourous. She makes us think, she makes us react, and she routinely gives us an opportunity to participate collectively in the making of something beautiful.

Her CV of artistic and social engagement has made Calgary a better place in the most imaginative of ways, which is perhaps best summarized in one of her most recent projects:OX: A Crash Course in Loving Calgary. This is a web-based, participatory project in which a chorus of Calgarians name the places they most cherish in our city. It’s a collective ode to our city told by many different voices. Many of the contributors Sharon tracked down on a bicycle, by going to communities where people’s reasons for loving Calgary are rarely enquired about. She made it fun and beautiful; she made us feel a sense of belonging to our city and it to us, and she made us proud.

"My career in media-arts/performance arts has taught me that community engagement at a personal level results in deep connectivity & interaction. This background enables me to instigate a dialogue around death and mortality in creative, inclusive ways to create a meaningful and respectful event. I am extremely mindful of the sacred responsibility this undertaking implies. I look forward to sharing this event with Calgarians once again".

Timeline

February: Permission granted from City of Calgary Cemetery's, confirmed no funding or infrastructure support from the City of Calgary for the event itself

Operating independently of any tax-funded or government organization, Equinox Vigil is a true community-driven project, entirely self-directed and self-funded by local artists and community members. Your financial support of this project is both vital and appreciated!

Thank you for taking a moment to read about this project and please mark your calendar for September 22 for an Equinox Vigil in Union Cemetery.

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51% funded

1 volunteers

$10,680 pledged of $20,900 goal

0 days left

This project will only be funded if at least $4180 is raised by Monday Sep 30th, 0:00 am